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UN Signals Academy update &

Micro Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) training

UAS WorkshopVirtual meeting Thursday 5th NOV 2020

Philippe G Schifferling

Strategic partnerships & Technology solutions officer

UN Signals Academy program management officer

Operations Support Division (OSD)

Office of Information and Communications Technology

United Nations Secretariat

New-York, USA

schifferlingp@un.org

UNITED NATIONS Signals Academy

“Providing C4ISR technology training to Peacekeeping”

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• UN Signals Academy programme update (10min)

• Micro-UAS training project & concept (10min)

• Q&A (10min)

Agenda

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The Office of Information & Communications Technologies (OICT)

TDDPS

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• Established in 2015. Initiative from the 1st Partnership for

Technology in Peacekeeping International Symposium (2014

Brindisi, ITA)

• Located at the UN Regional Service Center Entebbe (RSCE), UGA

• Delivering C4ISR* & Camp Security technology training for military

& police personnel (UN Missions & T/PCCs**)

• Managed by OICT. Workforce: 2x New York, 4x Entebbe. No

permanent trainers to date!

• No regular budget! Relies on donations from Member States by

using the Triangular Partnership model

The UN Signals Academy, a C4ISR technology training hub

* C4ISR = Command & Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (limited to

capabilities under OICT OSD responsibility)

** T/PCC = Troop & Police Contributing Countries

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UN Signals Academy strategic goal is :

➢ Support Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) objectives

➢ Enhance preparedness of military & police C4ISR

specialists during or prior to deployment in UN missions

➢ Support T/PCC capacity building

➢ Support objective to increase Women participation in UN

Peacekeeping

Our strategic goal

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• JAPAN (XBF)• CANADA (XBF)

• DENMARK (XBF)

• GERMANY (In-Kind)

Partnerships in development with:

• UGANDA (Micro-UAS)

• FRANCE (Micro-UAS & CIS)

• NATO Communications & Information

Academy (C4ISR courses)

• Francophonie (FRA language)

Our partnering Member States and generous donors

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➢ Capacity Building & Training: +6,500

uniformed personnel (12% female) from 112

Member States trained at UNSA or in

Mission

➢ Distance learning: Development of a

Learning Management System and E-

courses

➢ Gender: 6 Women’s Outreach Course for

female ICT uniformed officers. 177 officers

from 57 countries. 23 graduates deployed to

UN Missions.

➢ Main beneficiaries: UNSOS,MINUSMA,

MINUSCA, MONUSCO6th Women’s Outreach Course,

October 2019, UNSA

Our major achievements since 2016 (up to 30th June 2020)

“ICT Training of Trainers” Course,

November 2017, UNSA

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➢ Develop our C4ISR & Camp Security training offer (incl. Situational

Awareness, ISR Micro-UAS, C-RAM, ICT).

➢ Objective 25 technology courses by end 2021 (ENG + FRA = 50)

➢ Deliver a Learning Management System and distance learning. Accessible

to UN Missions and T/PCCs.

➢ Deliver Situational Awareness (Unite Aware) application suite “scenario-

based” training at the OPSCEN-STE* in Entebbe. Collaboration with ITS.

Initial Operational Capability end 2020

➢ Technology training in other UN official languages (Priority FRA)

➢ Augment UNSA RSCE team with permanent technology instructors

➢ Academy rebranding [UN Field Technology Academy]

Our new level of ambition

* OPSCEN-STE = Operation Centre - Simulated Training Environment, Entebbe

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➢ A4P XBF project proposals to Member States issued in Sep2020

▪

OICT Project Proposals Budget requested

(US$)

ISR Micro UAS Procurement in support of Training $169,500.00

UN Academy Staffing

Recruitment Chief Technology Training (P4)

$339,000.00

UN Academy Course Development & Delivery $1,017,000.00

Unite Aware application suite Development & Implementation $1,638,500.00

Smart Camp 2 $575,170.00

Telemedicine capability development $594,380.00

Interest in partnering with us, please contact: schifferlingp@un.org

Our new projects

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Stephen O’Sullivan

Project Manager

C4 Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance

Technology Development, Design and Planning Section

United Nations Global Service Center

Valencia, Spain

Micro Unmanned Aircraft System

Training Concept

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AGENDA

• Background to the Micro UAS project

• Micro UAS Training Concept & Timeline

• Training delivered in Missions

• Course Design

Micro UAS Training

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Classes* of UAS in the UN

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* Brooks-Holland Classification

** Medium Altitude Long Endurance / High Altitude Long Endurance

OICT owned and operated Air Transport Service (ATS) managed through Letters of Assist (LOA) or commercial contracts

• OICT manages the Class I (a) and (b) category (less than 2kg) for the UN. The UN owns and

operates these systems through ‘UAS as a Service’ available on the UNGSC Business Service

catalogue under Unite Aware (Business Service Catalogue)

• ATS manages the contracts for anything larger than Micro UAS.

**

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• Cruz Report & Technology and Innovation in Peacekeeping

(TIP) Report

• C4ISR & Force Protection technologies

• UAS as a Service

• Consultancy and advisory service

• Procurement

• Training

• Data Management

• Counter - UAS

Background to the Micro UAS project (1)

United Nations

Nations Unies United Nations Multidimensional Integrated

Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic

MINUSCA Mission Multidimensionnelle Intégrée des Nations Unies

pour la Stabilisation en République centrafricaine

USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY - QUADCOPTERS BY UNMO IN MINUSCA

AND ACHIEVEMENTS

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The Micro UAS Instructor course is a specialized training for

military & police personnel who are required to deliver Micro

UAS training to personnel in UN Field Missions or T/PCCs.

The course is designed for Micro UAS instructors who will train

Micro UAS operators to support missions with increased

Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance, GIS, engineering

surveying and safety & security capabilities.

Background to the Micro UAS project (2)

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• Technical partnership with Government of UGANDA

(Ugandan People Defense Forces)

• Delivery of Authorization-to-Operate micro UAS

• Provision of practical training area in Entebbe

• Technical partnership with Government of FRANCE (Army

UAS Centre of Excellence)

• Partnership implementation pending MOU signature

• Support to micro-UAS course development

• Training-of-UN-Trainers in France

• Support to UNSA capacity building

• Provision of UAS trainers in Entebbe

• Course delivery in English & French languages

Micro-UAS Training technical partnerships

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Micro-UAS Training Concept

Duration: 1 hour

Duration: 10 days

Duration: 5 days

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Micro-UAS Training delivered to date

• Training delivered (in the interim)

• 100 micro UAS Operators trained

in the field since Dec2019

• UN Missions: UNSOS, MONUSCO,

MINUSMA, MINUSCA

• African Union: AMISOM, Somali

National Army

United Nations

Nations Unies United Nations Multidimensional Integrated

Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic

MINUSCA Mission Multidimensionnelle Intégrée des Nations Unies

pour la Stabilisation en République centrafricaine

USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY - QUADCOPTERS BY UNMO IN MINUSCA

AND ACHIEVEMENTS

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Micro-UAS Training targeted audience

UNSA course targeted audience (in order of priority)

1. Military & Police personnel deployed on UN missions e.g.

Military Observers, Camp Security team, Convoy escort

2. T/PCC Military & Police Pre-deployment training

3. Capacity Building in support Member States

4. UN deployed civilian personnel e.g. Field Technology Section,

Engineering, Joint Mission Analysis Cell (JMAC)

5. UN entities e.g. UNDSS*, UNOCT*, UNMAS*.

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Micro-UAS course design

• Aligned with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) best

practice for commercial use UAS

• Aligned with UN ISR , Aviation Manual and C2 procedures.

ICAO Content

• Air law

• Theory of Flight

• Meteorology

• Human Factors

• Navigation

• Radiotelephony

UN Specific Content

• Electro Optical and

Infrared Systems

• UN Specific regulations

• UN and Mission Specific

Considerations

• Night Flying

• GIS Mapping

• Intelligence reporting

• Counter UAS

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Micro UAS Use Cases (1)

• Forward Operating Base (FOB):

Protection & Overwatch

• Battle Damage Assessment

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Micro UAS Use Cases (2)

• Convoy / Patrol Support

• Geographic Information System Mapping

Conclusion – Take away

➢ UNSA new level of ambition aims to better support A4P

➢ Micro UAS instructor and operator course to be delivered in

ENG & FRA language as soon as activity can resume in Uganda

and in Missions (COVID-19)

➢ XBF required for Micro UAS equipment procurement

➢ XBF required for course development & delivery

➢ XBF for UNSA permanent Training staff

Thank you to our Partners

for their invaluable support !

Join us !!

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Thank you for your attention !

QUESTIONS ?

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https://operationalsupport.un.org/en/un-signals-academy

https://operationalsupport.un.org/en/partnership-technology-peacekeeping

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